Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-02-01
A SECRET OF THE BOUDOIR
Which is Offered as an Argument
Against the High-Hat Reform
st. Louis Globe Democrat.

Which is Offered as an Argument
Against the High-Hat Reform.
St Louis Globe Democrat.
The high>hat reform inaugurated local
ly by the Globe Democrat has set the mil
liners and hairsdressers by the ears. The
latter are delighted with the success of
the movement end believe that it will re-
suit in the firm establishment in St. Louis
of the custom of ladies removing their
hats in the theatre at least, if not in the
churches; and the establishment of such
a custom means permanent benefit to
the hair dressing trade. The milliners,
though, view the growth of the new idea
with great alarm and do not wish to see
it succeed. They insist that ladies buy
hats and bonnets only to display them,
and the principal fields in which feminine
vanity find play are the temples of relig-
ion and amusement. II women discOn-
tinue wearing hats in church or AT the
theatre. they will have little use for hats
at all, and their head gear will partake of
the same useful character as mems brain
covers, which are worn for protection
and not for ornament. The millinery
trade has not been so very lively since
this reform set in. Ladies themselves
are seriously considering the situation.
and many OF :hem are inclined to take an
unfavorabIe view OF the high hat both
from the standpoint OF decoration, and
also from that of usefulness. They urge
the beauty of the small bonnet, which is
never in anybody's way, and which may
be made to suit women of all shades and
sizes. The small. or specter. bonnet. has
always had many firm friends among the
fair sex and it is rapidly coming to the
front again. The more successful the high
hat reform the more favor the small bon
net will win. The milliner likes the highhat
because it brings high price-the higher
the hat the higher the amount Of money
asked for it, as a rule, but the high hat is
doomed, and milliners in this neighbor-
hood who have stocks Of altitudinous
shapes on hand should get rid of them
before their absolute downfall is accom>
plished.
The only really serious complaint about
the movement comes from the society
girls who have beaus in straitened cir
cumstances. At the Olympic last week
there were from thirty to 100 bOnnetless
heads TO be seen every night, and the re-
form was success at every performance
Of Held by the Enemy except that given
Friday night, when society. though it
gave the movement generous recogni-
ton, was not so general in dOffiing its
headgear as was to be expected, Two
wellknown bellies wore extremely high
hats during the performance in what
seemed to be open and desperate de>
iiancC of the sentiment Of the rest OF the
house. 1t is TO be presumed that The
wea-ers Of the hats belonged TO the circle
represented by little lady to when
Globe Democrat reporter listened yester
day,
There is no use in the Globe. Democrat
trying to make this high hat idea GO, "
said the lady ut can not be done for Il
variety of reasons, but principally be-
cause We can not 60 to the theatre in the
street cars with bare heads, and the
young men can not afford TO hire car
riages for us. We have hard times
enough getting them 10 go as it is. We
can't begin TO scare up escorts for one
half the places we want to 60 to now, and
if we impose any more burdens upon
their pocket>books we shall never have a
chance Of going TO the theatre or any
where else. You might say that We
could wear nubias, but nubiss or fasci-
majors would dIsarrange our hair and it is
all folly to talk OF dressing the hair at
the theatre. If that custom were TO go
into effect the manager of the theatre
couldn't provide glasses enough for all
the ladies who would want 10 use them
And another thing" said a second
lady, "do you old bachelors. who write
stuff for newspapers, know what trouble
it is for woman to put on her bonnets
OF course you don't. Well, now let me
tell you how she puts on her clothes
when she is going out. She begins by
sitting down On the floor and putting on
her shoes and stockings. Then she ads
justs Der undergarments. and combs and
dresses her hair. Next she puts on her
corset. And right here the hard work
sets in. She gives her face and neck
few wipes with the wet end of towel,
and picking up the comb, brushes back
any stray hairs from her temples, and
trains her eyebrows nicely across their
arches. She handles the powder puff
next, covering the red end of her nose
with delicate rice powder. and putting a
lily complexion upon everything but the
spaces back Of her ears that are apt TO
show up yellow. Her dress skirts fol-
lows, and when this is adjusted the bon.
net is taken in hand. She knows that as
soon as she puts on her waist aud buttons
it the freedom of her arms is gone once
frightened in her waist, particularly if il is
the fashionable waist. she might as well
be in straight jacket; so she puts her
bonnet on before her waist, spending
several minutes before the mirror in fix
ing it SO as to show her hair and her ear
rings to the best advantage. After the
bonnet comes the waist. Some ladies
put the waist on first, but they do not
button it until they have put on their
bopnets. Now the idea of asking q lady
to take off her hat. or TO put it on in pub
lie, when she knows that the way she is
dressed wont permit her to lift her hands
as high as her shoulders unless she tears
herself TO pieces. Why, it's AS absurd as
to ask gentleman with tight trousers TO
pick hairpin from the floor. He can't
do 1t without bursting something. and
neither can she. So what's the use of
talking about ladies taking of their hats
in the theatref"
Police Points.
The police made twenty-five arrests in
Innnnrr AicIrihutnl nnnnrdinu II IL.